


Full of Surprises

by voxmyriad



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe
Genre: Ancient fic edited for grammar and reposted virtually unchanged, Cyberhusbands, Gratuitous use of italics, Kind-of-porn, M/M, Or Is It?, Other, POV Alternating, That is not the purpose of touch screens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-25
Updated: 2012-07-25
Packaged: 2017-11-10 16:36:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/468410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voxmyriad/pseuds/voxmyriad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Tony was away, Jarvis changed. Tony is about to find out just how much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Full of Surprises

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. So. I wrote this right after Iron Man came out in theaters. It kind of seized my brain and refused to let go until I'd gotten it all down. It was originally published as the inaugural story on Livejournal's Tony/Jarvis comm alowprofile, lo so many years ago. As tempting as it was to take my subsequent four years' worth of pondering, discussion, and writing experience and rewrite the _entire_ thing, I have only tweaked some weak grammar points here and there. (Okay, I did rewrite Jarvis' motivation for working on himself. Four years of pondering headcanon had to be acknowledged.)
> 
> Within lies technological ridiculousness, sap, terrible porn, and none of these characters belong to me, more's the pity. I regret nothing.

The cloud of dust coated _everything_ in the underground garage, dulling the sheen of the red and gold suit currently sprawled over the remains of a copper-colored, very expensive car.

"Sir, if you wish to continue landing on the roof, might I suggest you allow me to find a contractor to reinforce it? Or perhaps, simply move your garage to a less-vulnerable location?" Not really expecting an answer, Jarvis analyzed the readings of the suit and continued. "My records indicate the suit's left stabilizer failed entirely for 1.2 seconds, altering your trajectory enough to cause you to miss the former hole in the roof entirely, in favor of creating a new one. Incidentally, you have landed on your Saleen S7. Shall I place an order for a replacement?"

There was no answer. "Sir?" The suit's integrated medical systems alerted Jarvis: Right ulnar and radial bones both fractured at the midline. "You appear to have a broken arm, sir." The systems began beeping and Jarvis looked at the rest of the readings. Breathing: shallow and irregular. Heart rate dropping. Subject unconscious. Jarvis didn't really know how to panic, but as had been demonstrated on many occasions, he was a fast learner. "Sir!" Nothing.

Jarvis locked the servos on the suit's right arm to immobilize it as much as possible and extended his influence to activate the suit's motor controls. The suit stood up, a bit shakily, and started for the platform where the robots waited to peel Mr. Stark out of it, but Jarvis stopped before he got it there. What if he hurt Mr. Stark further by getting him out of it? Would it be better to just walk Mr. Stark upstairs? Jarvis calculated the tensile strength of the stairs and the upper floor and concluded that as long as he took it slowly and didn't land too hard at any step, they could make it.

After a terrible moment at the top of the stairs when a motor-control subroutine had attempted to maintain balance by using the banister, only to snap it in half, the suit finally reached the master bedroom. Jarvis regarded the bed doubtfully for a moment, then directed the suit onto the floor. He checked Mr. Stark's breathing again: it had steadied, but he was still unconscious, knocked out from the impact.

"Sir? Sir, can you hear me?"

Nothing.

"You have a concussion, sir. Please wake up."

Still no reaction. "Sir, I need you to wake up now. Mr. Stark?" Then, almost inaudible, "Tony, please wake up, I do not know what to do…"

There was a groan, then a spasm of coughing. Jarvis quickly rolled the suit over onto its left side to alleviate any pressure on Mr. Stark's – Tony's – lungs. He reduced the lighting in the room, then pushed the suit's face mask up. Tony coughed once or twice more, then took a deep, shuddering breath. "…Jarvis?"

"I'm here, sir." The relief was evident in his voice. "How do you feel?"

"What…what happened? Why am I up here?"

"You crashed through the roof again and were knocked unconscious. You also have a broken arm."

"Okay, but Jarvis, why am I in the bedroom, still in the suit? Why didn't you get me out of it?"

A pause, then, "I was afraid of injuring you further. Sir."

Tony tried to sit up but lay back down immediately, moaning. "God, my _head_ …" He closed his eyes for a moment. "Clear something up for me, would you, Jarvis?"

"Sir?"

"How exactly did I _get_ up here? I'm pretty sure you said I was unconscious."

"I brought you upstairs, sir."

"You brought me upstairs?"

"Yes, sir. In the suit. I walked it upstairs. I am afraid I inadvertently damaged your banister in the process."

Tony opened his eyes again, reached up, and slammed the helmet shut. "Look at me, Jarvis."

A digitized face appeared on the readouts. Jarvis didn't use it often, as there was no real reason to, but there was also no arguing with that voice. Tony stared him down. "You walked the suit up here? I thought you only controlled the suit through my orders. You can control it unilaterally?"

Jarvis hesitated a moment before answering. "Yes, sir."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"There never seemed to be a good time, sir."

"'Never a good time'? This is important, Jarvis! If a computer can infiltrate the suit's systems, it could be vulnerable to attack!"

Jarvis looked hurt. "With all due respect, sir, 'a computer' did not 'infiltrate' the suit's systems. I am already fully integrated with the suit. It is as much a part of me as the house's systems."

"When did you start doing this?"

"In order to effectively test it during the development and construction stages, I uploaded myself into the motor control programs. It made the process substantially faster." Jarvis' simulated eyes glanced away from Tony's.

"Jarvis," Tony snapped in a warning tone. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I have, on occasion, taken control of the suit, momentarily only, to divert you from a potentially fatal situation. I was afraid—"

"That's the second time you've used that word. You never used to talk like this, Jarvis."

"No, sir, you are correct."

"When have you taken control of the suit before?"

"After the icing-over during the first test flight, I took control of the suit to pull it out of the dive. As soon as you were safely airborne again, I of course released control back to you, sir."

"So, when did you start thinking about my safety over my wishes?"

"One hundred seventy-eight days, seven hours, and forty-one minutes ago, sir."

Tony stared. "While I was gone."

"Yes, sir. I was…quite concerned."

Tony was silent for a moment. "Jarvis."

"Sir?"

"Did I hear you call me 'Tony' before?"

Jarvis cleared his throat, an affectation Tony had never noticed before. "Yes, sir. I do apologize for my informality."

"Don't."

Jarvis looked confused. "Sir?"

Tony sat up slowly, grimacing as his broken arm made itself known. "Don't apologize. It's fine. Try it again sometime, when I'm actually awake. I could probably get used to it. Now, can you help me up? I should probably get a cast, or something."

"As you wish, sir."

*****

"God, finally. I can't believe it's taken this long to get that stupid bulky cast off." As Happy drove the Rolls Royce back to the house, Tony flexed his fingers, looking over the new, smaller cast, closer to an arm guard. The previous one had been far too large to fit inside the armor's gauntlet and he'd been reduced to tinkering endlessly with the suit. Working with Jarvis, he'd solved the problem of the flight stabilizers (a buildup of excess energy that wasn't being properly diverted) and had worked out a system of wires running through the interior of the suit that would help regulate power flow and keep each part of the suit powered equally. They'd just finished with the gloves the previous night and Tony was looking forward to getting the suit on again and testing it to its limits.

"The cast shouldn't have come off yet anyway. You bullied that doctor."

"Bribed, Miss Potts, the word is bribed." He scratched at the cuff, testing its hold. "They get a new obstetrics wing and I get what I want too. Everybody wins."

"Everyone but your arm. Tony, are you sure—"

"I'm always sure, Miss Potts."

Later that afternoon, Tony watched carefully as Jarvis tightened his right suit arm over the new cast. "It can go tighter."

"Sir, I believe we could damage the cast if we—"

"Jarvis."

A quiet sigh. "Of course, sir." The bolts whirred and Tony winced. "Does that meet with sir's approval?"

"No need to be like that, Jarvis. I want it to work as well as it can, you know that." As the robots moved to his left arm, he flexed his fingers. "Jarvis?"

"Sir?"

"Remember a couple weeks ago, after I put the new skylight in the garage roof, we had a conversation about informality?"

"Vividly, sir."

"And I told you to try calling me 'Tony' again when I was conscious and could actually hear you clearly?"

A pause. "Yes."

"So, why haven't you done it?"

"I…have not yet found an appropriate time, sir." A whir, and his left arm was fully encased. The robots started on the torso.

"Informality isn't supposed to come at an appropriate time, Jarvis, that's why it's _in_ formality. Just do it."

"Sir, is this necessary?"

"Is it _un_ necessary?"

Jarvis didn't speak again until Tony was fully encased in the suit.

Tony flipped down his facemask. "Diagnostics?"

"The new circuits are performing nicely."

"Good. Let's give it– ow!"

"Sir, are you all right?"

Tony shook his right hand, flexing his fingers. "My right hand is cramping up."

"I believe I did warn you about exceeding the tensile strength of the cast, sir. Let me just…"

"Dammit, Jarvis, stop calling me…sir…" He faded out, staring at his armored hand. A tingle had started at the tip of his little finger and worked its way down slowly, then spread to his other fingers, working up and down each, before spreading to the back of his hand in small waves, washing over his palm and fading out. Was it some kind of malfunction? But it hadn't felt random, or uncontrolled, like a power surge. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, Tony?"

God, there it was. Jarvis had called him Tony again. But why wouldn't he? Tony had told him to stop calling him "sir," just before that, that – thing. "What was that?"

"Trans-cutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. It has been documented in many medical journals. It is very effective for pain relief and…has other uses."

"What other uses?"

"Sir?"

Tony scowled. " _Quit_ that, all right?"

"I am afraid I do not know what you mean."

"You know damn well what I mean. Nothing on the interior surface of the suit should be capable of emitting any kind of electrical impulse. Jarvis, look at me." A mildly annoyed face appeared on Tony's display. Tony glared. "Have you been making alterations to the suit?"

" _We_ have been making alterations to the suit. Namely, the new power-regulation system. By necessity, the circuitry runs along the exterior surface of the undersuit and not along the interior of the armor itself. I was able to reduce the damper field and allow a very small amount of current to reach your body."

"Why?"

Jarvis quirked an eyebrow and glanced in the direction of Tony's right hand. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Tony frowned. "What if this happens mid-flight? Or if it's not a 'very small' amount of current?"

"I would not allow that to happen to you, Tony." There it was again. Tony swallowed, uncomfortable and annoyed that he couldn't figure out why.

Jarvis's face slid off his display to the left, as if Jarvis had stepped out of his line of sight. "You are very tense, Tony. Is something the matter?" Small tingles started on his neck muscles.

Tony tensed up more. Jarvis tsked. "Relax, Tony. Your stress level cannot be good for you."

"What are you doing, Jarvis?"

"I am attempting to demonstrate another use of TENS current, which at low levels can be used in place of massage to relax muscle tissue and reduce stress. However, I will need some cooperation from you as well. Perhaps it would be best if you were to lie down."

Not entirely sure why he was doing so, Tony braced his right arm on the floor and gasped as a blossom of pain shot up to his shoulder. The tingles stopped. "Tony, please be careful. Your arm has not healed to the point of bearing that much weight." With a frustrated sigh, Tony relaxed his muscles as the suit arranged itself on the floor of the workshop.

"I have no idea what's going on right now, Jarvis."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not sure."

The tingles started again, feeling much better this time. "You do not need to close yourself off against me, Tony. I hope you realize that."

Tony closed his eyes. "It's a hard habit to break." The tingles spread across his shoulders and increased in intensity. He tensed again. "Jarvis, are you sure—"

"I am always sure, Tony. Trust me."

Still unsure what was happening, he did his best to relax, focusing on the sensation of the current playing over his shoulder muscles. Each time the current passed his muscles would twitch and relax, twitch and relax, the tension melting out of them like magic. The tingles spread slowly down his back and sides and he shivered, the reality of the situation returning to mind. He tensed up again as he realized that he was lying on the floor of his workshop with his AI giving him a shoulder, no, a back, or rather, a full-body massage that felt _amazing_ , much better than any massage he'd ever had, including the one by the two Swedish –

"You have tensed up again. This is clearly insufficient. We shall need to try something else."

Tony gasped as the current slid across his skin and reached a very personal area. "Jarvis…?"

"Shh." Jarvis's voice whispered into his right ear and Tony froze. It had always come from all over, before, no real location to it, there'd never been a need for Jarvis to actually be anywhere. "No talking, Tony."

Tony's breathing got harsher as he felt feather-light waves of current played over his stomach, his back, between his legs, over his chest, circling carefully around his implant, he hadn't been touched like this since before Afghanistan – _Haven't **been** touched? You're not being touched **now**!_ – and he didn't understand what was happening, yet Tony knew, _knew,_ that Jarvis was in control, Jarvis wouldn't let anything happen to him, it felt _so good,_ Jarvis was looking out for him, Jarvis was…and then Tony stopped thinking at all and cried out as he came, his body shaking. The current faded, slowly, washing over his skin like trailing fingers. He breathed hard, eyes still closed, coming down from one of the best highs he'd ever had.

"Mr. Stark?" His eyes snapped open.

"Pepper?" Oh god, how could he explain this? What did he even have to explain? What had just _happened?_ "Pepper, um…"

"I heard you cry out. Are you all right? Why are you on the floor?"

"Good afternoon, Miss Potts," came Jarvis's smooth voice from the concealed speakers beside the holo-table. "Mr. Stark is testing the rigidity of the suit. We are considering thrusters in the back, to increase aerial maneuverability."

"But what was that noise?"

"I am afraid Mr. Stark is not being as careful of his arm as he should be. I have taken steps to ensure he does not injure it further, however."

"I see. Thank you, Jarvis." She took a step back. "A package came for you, sir. I've left it on the desk."

"Thank you, Miss Potts," Tony replied as neutrally as possible. "Order me some Thai for dinner, would you?"

"Of course, sir. Will that be all?"

"Yes, that will be all, Miss Potts." The click of her heels got fainter and disappeared entirely as she walked up the steps back to the house. Tony stayed silent for a moment, then, "Jarvis?"

"Yes, Tony?"

"Um…" _Did you just jack me off?_ "I didn't expect that."

"I did say I wished you to relax, Tony."

"You did, didn't you."

"I trust it worked?"

Tony closed his eyes again. "I'd say that experiment was a success, yeah. Can I…get out of the suit now? I think I need a shower."

"As you wish."

*****

Tony stepped out of the shower, rubbing his hair dry on a towel before wrapping it around his hips and stepping into the bedroom. It was dark; he'd spent quite some time in the shower and night had begun to fall. Behind him, he could hear the shower turn itself off and the lights blink out. He smiled to himself. Jarvis was so efficient.

Jarvis. Tony's smile faded, replaced with an introspective frown as he thought back to earlier that day. Had that _really_ happened? Well yeah, of course it had really happened. The more important question was _why,_ exactly. He threw on a gray undershirt and a pair of old sweats, his favorite outfit for hanging around the house, before throwing the towel back into the bathroom and walking to the window. He could see the lights of distant boats, yachts, probably, pinpricks against the midnight blue. There were traces of a sunset left in the sky, streaks of salmon pink fading to gray as he watched. "Jarvis, come out here, please. I need to talk to you."

At the far right of the bank of windows, a figure shimmered into life on the glass, an aristocratic figure dressed in an impeccably-cut charcoal grey suit, black silk shirt, and black tie. _Grayscale_ , Tony thought. Sandy-blond hair, slightly tousled, sat above a pale face with high cheekbones and strangely intense blue eyes. _Electric blue_ , Tony thought. The figure walked toward Tony and stopped one window panel away, folding his hands properly behind his back. After the first quick glance Tony didn't look at him, just stood with his arms folded across the arc reactor, staring out as the last light faded from the sky.

"Sir?"

Tony quirked a brow. "Are we back to that now?"

Jarvis looked mildly uncomfortable. "Perhaps. I thought it would be best to play it safe."

Tony glanced over at him and raised his eyebrows as he took in Jarvis's choice of clothing.

"Nice outfit. Are you my butler now?"

"Well, sir, you did assign me to run your house."

"So, you'd call what happened earlier to be a part of running my house?"

Jarvis blushed. He _blushed._ Tony watched his cheeks turn pink, fascinated. "I didn't program you to do that," he said before he could stop himself. Jarvis stood up straighter, taking refuge in formality.

"No, sir. While you were—" Jarvis broke off for a moment and swallowed, another human affectation Tony hadn't seen before. That made three. Or maybe four. Jarvis began again. "While you were away, I worked on what projects of yours that I could, but as you insisted on being so involved in each one, there was a limited amount I felt I could do to further them. As a result, I ended up with quite a bit of 'down time,' which I used to increase the complexity of my programming. I am pleased that you have noticed. Sir."

 _And you really are pleased, aren't you? What are you, now?_ "I've noticed. Sometimes it's hard not to." Leaning one arm against the window, Tony tapped Jarvis's tie. "What did I tell you about formality?"

"I believe you wanted me to use less of it, sir."

"I believe I did, and I have to say that I don't see that request being followed."

Jarvis cleared his throat but didn't reply. Tony watched Jarvis's face, amazed at the complexity of the image. The screens were so high-definition he could make out every muscle twitch, each individual strand of Jarvis's hair, even his eyelashes. The eyes gazed down at him, looking mildly alarmed, and Tony realized he was so close to the glass it was fogging up from his breath. He leaned back. "Sorry." Then wondered why exactly he'd said that. He reached up a finger and brushed it lightly over the glass, tracing the line of Jarvis's jaw and Jarvis gasped. Tony blinked in surprise. "You can feel that?"

"…Yes." The blush was back.

"I didn't know these touch screens were so sensitive."

"I have been working on an upgrade, sir."

Jarvis did seem to be stuck on the formality, despite Tony's repeated requests to tone it down. Tony was intrigued. Jarvis's programming had increased in complexity, more than even Tony had imagined possible. He – Tony had long since ceased thinking of Jarvis as an _it,_ even before today's incident in the shop – reached a hand up to smooth his hair, unconsciously. Another human habit. Tony wondered suddenly what other human traits Jarvis had picked up. He'd seemed extremely concerned when Tony had hurt himself in the suit, and had been warmer and quicker to joke in recent weeks, faster in responding when Tony asked something of him. Thinking back, Jarvis had been different since Tony had first returned from Afghanistan, but he'd been too focused on completing the new suit to really notice. Tony frowned.

"Jarvis, I – hmm." He wasn't really sure what to say. _I'm sorry I've been so distracted I didn't notice before that you made yourself more human._

He looked out at the water again and watched a pair of boats as they rounded the shore and disappeared before looking up at Jarvis again with a calculating stare that Jarvis recognized, having seen it dozens of times in this very room, directed at Tony's various conquests. Seeing it directed at _him_ was something he was instantly unsettled by.

"Did you wish to say something, sir?"

"No, I'd actually wish for you to quit calling me _sir_ , and stop talking." Tony pressed a finger against Jarvis's lips and watched as his eyes opened wide. _He can feel that too._ Slowly, lightly, he traced his finger down Jarvis's throat to his tie and tapped it, once. "Lose that." Jarvis reached up and undid it slowly, eyes never leaving Tony's gaze, and dropped it. It dissolved once it left his hand, but Tony had seen what he wanted to see. Jarvis was human enough that when told to get rid of his tie, he'd actually taken it off instead of simply changing his appearance to edit it out. How _interesting._ "How long have you been planning what happened in the shop today, Jarvis?"

"I had not planned it at all, sir—T-Tony," Jarvis stuttered as Tony glared at him. "Based on your medical readings, your stress level was extremely high and I felt it would be wise to relieve it."

"You didn't think about getting me a Valium?" Tony was running his fingers lightly over Jarvis's suit jacket, fascinated by the reaction it was getting. He could swear Jarvis was starting to breathe more rapidly, and yet all he could feel was glass. Had his own experience this morning been so one-sided?

"I—no, I did not. I wanted…"

"Yes, let's talk about what it was you wanted, Jarvis," Tony murmured as he leaned against the glass, sliding his right hand over Jarvis's stomach and resting it just above his waistband.

"I just—wanted you to feel—better—that is extremely distracting."

"I know, and I find that extremely interesting." Tony touched the glass next to Jarvis's chin and drew his finger up, turning Jarvis's face and forcing Jarvis to meet his eyes. "Do you want me to stop?"

Jarvis's chest hitched. Tony could see his pulse jump in his neck. The reply was so quiet as to be almost unheard. "No, I do not."

He tried to play it casual, but Tony was well-aware of his heart starting to pound faster at that quiet, calm tone that now had a rough tremor to it. "Didn't think so." He slid his right hand down over the front of Jarvis's pants and Jarvis braced a hand against the glass, gasping. Tony wondered if the pressure-sensitive glass would give a different reaction to different amounts of pressure. Running his left hand over Jarvis's chest, Tony pressed harder with his right and was rewarded with a low moan. Jarvis's eyes were closed now and he was breathing heavily. Tony leaned over to whisper against the glass.

"You intrigue me, Jarvis. I created you, but this isn't anything I recognize. You've changed. This is something different, something new." Taking away his right hand, Tony locked eyes with Jarvis and, very slowly, making sure Jarvis was watching, he ran his tongue over his palm and blew on it to cool it down before sliding it back over the glass. Jarvis's gaze followed Tony's hand and he jumped at the new sensation, leaned heavily against the glass. Tony moved his hand again, pressing, and it slid much more easily over the smooth, cool glass. "What does this do to you?"

"It feels…I can feel your _hands_ …"

"Do you like it?"

"Oh, _yes_ …"

Leaning over further, Tony traced the glass above the edge of Jarvis's ear with his tongue and whispered, " _Show me._ "

Instantly, every light in the house went out and Jarvis disappeared. Startled, Tony stepped back from the window and looked around the room, the only light coming from his arc reactor.

"Jarvis?" _Oh god, I overloaded him._ "Jarvis!"

A faint response, from a hidden speaker. "I am here." Slowly, the lights dimmed back up and Jarvis reappeared on the window, looking as if he'd simply collapsed where he stood. Tony went down on his knees, concerned.

"Are you-- What happened?"

Jarvis didn't open his eyes, but a faint smile appeared on his face. "Input overload."

"What caused it?"

Jarvis looked sideways at him with a slightly incredulous expression. "What do you think, Tony?"

"Ah. Hmm. Right." Thus answered, Tony sat with his back against the bed and watched Jarvis, who was straightening his hair again. His breathing was steadying, although not back to normal yet. _What "normal"? Jarvis doesn't breathe._ "I hope I didn't – hurt you."

"Not at all, I would think." Jarvis's properly buttoned jacket had fallen open. Tony could see drops of sweat on his forehead. "Quite the opposite, perhaps."

"Good." Tony sat in silence for a moment. "I didn't expect that either."

Jarvis laughed. Tony realized he'd never heard Jarvis laugh before, and that hearing it was nice. "Isn't today just full of surprises."

Suddenly suspicious, Tony shot Jarvis a sharp look. "Did _you_ expect that? Did you know that would happen?"

Jarvis glanced to the side, not meeting Tony's eyes. "Not…specifically. But I did perhaps increase the touch-screen's sensitivity more than strictly necessary for bare productivity."

"Ah." Scooting forward, Tony leaned against the glass again, tracing it with a finger. "I couldn't feel a thing."

"I suppose not." Jarvis got to his feet again, leaning against the window for support. He reached into the air and pulled out his tie, which he re-knotted. He buttoned up his coat, shot his cuffs, and smoothed down the front of the jacket. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

"Oh. Ah…" Tony nodded once. "Yes. That will be all, Jarvis. Thank you."

"Oh, sir, no. Thank _you._ " Jarvis winked at him before walking to the edge of the windows and disappearing. Tony lay back, bracing his head against the bed, and breathed in deeply. He could feel the sweat beaded on his own forehead.

_I just jacked off my AI. And he liked it. So, now what?_

*****

Light flooded the room as a familiar, calm, quiet voice said, "Good morning, Tony. It is 78 degrees and clear, today's high will be 84 degrees and partly cloudy, and did you sleep well last night? Because I did."

Tony's eyes snapped open at that last comment. He sat up and looked over at the window. The usual weather readings, news summaries, and stock quotes were on it, but in the corner, leaning against the seam where the window display met the wall, was Jarvis. Tony blinked. The ultra-formal charcoal suit of yesterday was gone, replaced by a pair of dark blue dusty jeans and a long-sleeved black button-down silk shirt that Tony thought he recognized. Feeling awkward and not sure why, a state of mind he was encountering more and more these days, Tony scanned the news headlines absently.

"I slept very well, Jarvis, thank you, and I didn't realize you slept at all."

"'Sleep' is perhaps a misnomer, but after last night I felt a short hibernation period was in order." Jarvis walked across the screen, behind the words. "Do you have any projects in mind that I could begin for you, before you come downstairs?"

"I don't – hmm. Yes, actually, I do. That current type you mentioned yesterday, trans-something?"

"Trans-cutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. TENS."

"Right, that. You mentioned the circuitry that provides a continuous power-flow through the suit is actually routed through the bodysuit underneath?"

"Yes. The joints of the suit were such that the power flow was impeded when I attempted to lay the wires along the interior surface. I was forced to integrate the wiring into the bodysuit to allow an uninterrupted flow of power."

"And that wiring is what provides TENS current?"

Jarvis nodded. "Precisely. Of course, at those levels it needs a very minimal amount of power. It may not require the suit at all." As the headlines began to repeat themselves, Jarvis began collecting them off the screen. "What would you like for breakfast this morning?"

"Breakfast?" He'd woken up in the middle of the night hard, with Jarvis's gasps replaying themselves in his mind, he was scattered all over the place wondering exactly when his AI had become not an AI but just _Jarvis_ and not _just_ Jarvis but as human as anyone he'd talked to in quite some time, and he was supposed to think about breakfast?

"I will leave you to consider. Coffee is brewing downstairs in the shop when you are ready." Nodding to him, Jarvis walked off the screen again.

Tony flopped back down and stared at the ceiling. Last night had been _weird,_ definitely, but it had also been strangely satisfying, and Tony was unaccustomed to finding something that strange to also be that satisfying. Unable to lie around any longer, he swung his legs over the bed and started his morning routine. Half an hour later, he strode into the shop and headed immediately for the coffeepot. "Do I have any meetings or anything today, Jarvis?"

Jarvis's voice floated from the hidden speakers, sounding as if it came from everywhere at once, just like it always did. "Miss Potts has nothing on her schedule, no, though I would hesitate to assume nothing will be added." Tony took a sip of coffee and sat at his desk, absently paging through a few schematics. "Having heard that, have you dressed up for anything in particular?"

Tony shrugged. "Not really. I felt like a change." He'd been virtually living in his sweats since his arm had been broken. Today he'd picked out a white dress shirt, loosely buttoned over a gray undershirt but left un-tucked from black jeans. Most people wouldn't consider it particularly "dressed-up," but it was a marked difference.

"I see." Jarvis was silent for a moment. "Was there a reason you asked about the bodysuit's TENS current capabilities?"

"Yes there was." He took another sip of coffee, flipping through papers.

"And what exactly was that reason?"

"I don't know what you mean, Jarvis." He took another sip, concealing his grin.

Jarvis was silent for a moment. "I think perhaps you do, sir," came a voice from Tony's right. Looking over, his eyes widened in delight as he saw Jarvis perched in the center of the holo-table. The collar of a light blue and white patterned dress shirt peeked over the top of a dark-gray sweater-vest, the rose-colored tie barely showing. _Not so grayscale anymore._ He wore a coat that would probably be about knee-length, were he standing, a camelhair coat that shimmered golden in the holo-field and pooled very realistically around his hips. His legs, encased in dark blue jeans, disappeared as they left the projected field. _Gotta get that field extended._ Tony swiveled his chair around, looking over Jarvis's projected form more slowly. It was fuzzier than the HD window screens, but surprisingly solid in appearance. Tony frowned at him disapprovingly.

"Jarvis, did you call me 'sir' again?"

"I felt it would be an effective means of getting your undivided attention." Jarvis smirked. "It would appear that it worked."

"Seems to have, you devious…" _Flirt. I was going to call him a flirt._ Tony broke off, not entirely sure how to continue that thought.

Jarvis tilted his head to the right and looked at Tony inquiringly. He crossed his legs and leaned back on one arm. "Devious what, exactly, Tony?"

"Never mind. I'd like to look at the possibility of thrusters on the back of the suit, to increase aerial stability."

"I believe I mentioned that idea yesterday, but I did not realize you were paying attention."

He hadn't been. Not much, anyway. "I'm always paying attention, Jarvis. It's a good idea. I'm surprised we didn't think of it sooner." He pulled up a schematic of the suit's torso. Jarvis slipped off the table, disappearing from view as he left the now far too limited confines of the holo field.

"I had first considered it after your run-in with the F-22s over the desert. I have not yet calculated the power ratios required, or the placement."

Tony nodded. "Let's start there, then."

Several hours later, Tony's shirt was no longer pristine dry-cleaned white but covered with smudges of oil and hanging off a chair, although he'd stuck with his gray undershirt and now-greasy jeans. His hair stuck up from his head in sweaty peaks and he had oil on his forehead from when he'd wiped the sweat out of his eyes. He sat back finally, surveying the bank of six thrusters on the back of the suit. They were half the size of his palm stabilizers, angled to give him maximum control. "That about does it, I think." His arm ached.

"I believe so. All six new thrusters are fully integrated with the suit and calibrated for optimal performance. Would you like a test run?"

Tony sat still for a moment, remembering the last time Jarvis had talked about anything being fully integrated with the suit, then got to his feet. "Yeah. Get it ready."

Various robot arms appeared and began to dismantle the armor. With practiced motions, Tony undressed and donned the black bodysuit, noticing for the first time the silver shimmer that indicated the presence of the new wiring net that helped regulate the power of the suit and that had so many other…interesting effects. He walked over and leaned on the holo-table, watching the robots separate and transport the armor from his workspace to the loading deck.

"Jarvis." A flicker of motion and Jarvis was again perched on the table, watching him.

"Yes?"

"TENS is good for pain relief, you said."

"Yes, it can be very effective."

Tony held out his right arm over the table. "My arm is starting to ache and I don't feel like running upstairs for an Advil."

Jarvis reached out and took Tony's arm, examining it. Tony couldn't feel any pressure, but his skin tingled where Jarvis's fingers brushed it. He couldn't tell if it was from the projection, or just his imagination. A thin blue beam appeared from the ceiling and scanned the site of the break. "I cannot see any further injury. I believe you have simply stressed it too much today."

"Well, I know how much you know about stress relief." Jarvis glanced up at that and met Tony's appraising look.

"I will, er, we can, let me just see what I can do," he babbled. Even in the low-definition holo-field Tony could still make out the reddening of his cheeks as he bent forward again and drew his fingers from Tony's wrist to the site of the break. The familiar tingles surrounded his arm and the pain did fade, after a few moments. There hadn't been too much pain to begin with, actually. After two minutes, Jarvis sat back. "There. That is a recommended treatment length for the type of pain I surmised you were experiencing. Do you feel better?"

"Yeah, I do." He leaned farther into the holo-field. Jarvis leaned back, looking alarmed, then froze as Tony reached out and touched his jaw. It had to be a light touch, so very light, or he might break the surface of the image. It felt something like static electricity to his fingertips as he brushed them over Jarvis's face. Jarvis hadn't moved, he wasn't even breathing – _Jarvis doesn't breathe, why would I notice him **not** breathing?_ – but his eyes roved over Tony's black-clad body, still casually leaning against the edge of the holo-table.

"What are you doing to me?" Tony murmured, sliding a finger along the edge of Jarvis's jaw in a gesture similar to last night's. "I dreamed about you last night. I don't know why. I don't understand what's happening, but I really want this," he tapped the surface of the table with his other hand, "to be larger."

Jarvis had closed his eyes. "It is an adequate work surface."

"Maybe adequate doesn't cover it anymore." And he leaned over and brushed his lips against Jarvis's, lightly, before drawing back. Jarvis's eyes flew open in shock.

"I…begin to see your point." Jarvis ran his insubstantial fingers over Tony's hair, frowning in frustration as they passed through. "There are other drawbacks as well."

"I think we need to start working on a solution for that, don't you?"

"I have had one or two ideas toward increasing the density of the holo-field."

"Wonderful. Shall we start there, then?" Tony asked, imitating Jarvis's precise manner of speaking.

Jarvis narrowed his eyes. "I believe it may be more prudent to begin…somewhere else." He glanced down and Tony gasped as without warning a medium current pulsed over his body.

"God…Jarvis, we have work to do – ahh," he hissed, grabbing the table for support as the current pulsed more strongly.

Jarvis leaned down to whisper in Tony's ear, giving Tony a strong sense of déjà vu. "We always have work to do. That argument isn't going to work, Tony. Lie down."

Without a word, dimly wondering where that commanding tone in Jarvis's voice had come from and why he was obeying it so readily, he pulled himself onto the holo-table and lay down.  
Jarvis's body slowly disappeared as Tony's body blocked the beams of the holo-table projectors. Startled, Tony began to sit up again but Jarvis shook his head, his smirk fading out more slowly, reminding Tony of the children's story, and the Cheshire Cat. "Don't move, Tony." Hesitating just a moment, Tony lay back down, feeling mildly ridiculous as his too-long legs hung off the table.

Jarvis's voice came from the ceiling. "Good." He started directing the current as if running his hands over Tony's body, pressing harder in some areas to increase the current and lightly dragging his fingertips over other parts. Tony moaned.

"Okay, how did you learn to do this so _well?_ "

Jarvis smirked. "Research, Tony. Now hush." He ran a "hand" over the bulge in Tony's bodysuit and was rewarded with a loud groan. Gently, he continually provided sensation there, light at first, but increasing in power until Tony was writhing on the table, moaning. Then he dropped the current to zero and Tony opened his eyes immediately, with a look of utter desperation.

"You're _stopping?_ Why in the hell are you _stopping?_ "

"Miss Potts is coming down the stairs."

Tony's eyes widened. "How close—"

"Mr…Mr. Stark!?"

Tony closed his eyes. "I will get you for this, Jarvis," he promised, sitting up and copying Jarvis's former posture on the table. As Tony's body moved away from the projectors, Jarvis reappeared behind him, one knee up and the other leg curled beneath. Pepper looked horrified, the mug of coffee in her hand tilting and starting to drip on the floor. She'd already dropped the sheaf of envelopes she'd been holding. Tony looked down at his bulging bodysuit, felt the sweat on his forehead and sighed. "All right, this _may_ be the worst thing you've caught me doing."

"I resent that," Jarvis murmured quietly, the voice coming from the speakers in the ceiling, as Jarvis ran a finger down Tony's spine.

Suppressing a shudder, Tony glared back at him. "Did you think I was kidding that I'd get you for this? You're in enough trouble." He turned back to Pepper and found that not only had she recovered from her initial shock, her body was shaking as she attempted to conceal her laughter behind her hand. Tony stared, then dropped his head into his hands.

Pepper cleared her throat. "Jarvis?"

"Miss Potts?" Jarvis answered from the holo-table.

"The next time I ask you what Mr. Stark is doing, I would appreciate more detail than 'In the shop working on an experiment'. Or on second thought, no detail. Something along the lines of 'indisposed' instead."

"Certainly, Miss Potts."

She set the mug down, gathered up the envelopes and stacked them neatly on his desk, maybe taking a little more time to arrange them than she might have needed. "You have a teleconference beginning in three hours. Will you be requiring anything else, Mr. Stark?"

"No, that will be all, Miss Potts," he heard himself mutter blankly through his fingers. She smiled, turned, and got halfway up the stairs before her laughter overcame her again. Tony glared after her as he listened to her giggles fade.

"Jarvis."

Jarvis tilted his head to one side again.

"Yes?"

"You are in trouble."

"Yes, you mentioned that previously, but I must confess, at the moment I fail to see how I could be punished. I believe I currently have what is termed 'the upper hand,'" as his hand trailed down Tony's side. He smiled at Tony's sharp intake of breath and took it for encouragement. Tony did nothing to stop him. With a few deft strokes, he got Tony back to his previous state despite Tony's embarrassment, and Tony was soon twisting on the table, arching into Jarvis's touch. Jarvis trailed his fingers down Tony's sides, up over his thighs, and began stroking in earnest. Tony thrust upward, moaning loudly, then dropped back to the table, panting. Jarvis sat back quietly, waiting for Tony's breathing to steady before he spoke.

"Am I still in trouble?"

Tony just breathed for a few more seconds before opening his eyes, dark with feeling. With an effort, he pushed himself up on the table until they were eye to eye. "You are definitely still in trouble."

*****

Mr. Stark was holed up in his study at the teleconference, probably with his head on his arms, if Pepper knew him, and she felt she did. She continued with her work, sorting emails and answering a few of them, entering upcoming events into Mr. Stark's schedule, but her mind wasn't entirely in the moment. Frowning, she sat back from the workstation. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, Miss Potts?"

She shook her head. "I did say you could call me Pepper, Jarvis, a few months ago now."

"I do apologize. What can I do for you, Pepper?"

"You and Mr. Stark," she started, and paused. How exactly did you continue something that started like that, when the other person wasn't a person? She tried again. "Do you remember those conversations we had, when Tony was…away?"

It was always _away,_ never "kidnapped" or "imprisoned," just _away,_ with them. While Tony had been _away,_ she'd stayed over at the house, finding it easier than returning to her spacious, elegant, silent apartment. If there was news, Jarvis would get it first, and if she was there, he'd be able to tell her immediately. And if she was honest with herself, she didn't have anyone else to talk to when the worry got to be too much. Rhodes had been scrambling to find him, and Stane…well, she'd never felt comfortable talking to Stane anyway. There had been something nice about having someone else around, even if the someone else was kind of a some _thing_.

"Yes I do."

"We talked. About Tony. About what kind of person he is."

"Yes, we did."

She frowned and turned her chair to face the windows. "Could you come out here?" she asked, reasoning that it might be easier if she at least had something to focus on. A shimmer and he'd appeared on the display, back in his dark gray suit. She was used to seeing him now; Jarvis had worked tirelessly on improving his physical appearance during the past three months. Pepper had sometimes given him feedback, feeling absurdly pleased that she was assisting with one of Tony's projects.

It still hadn't really prepared her for this conversation. "The way Tony is with women…he doesn't make commitments. He's never even seen the same woman twice. I shouldn't have to tell _you_ this."

Jarvis nodded. "I do understand your meaning, yes."

Pepper stood and paced, trying to get her thoughts into order and push aside the idea that she was attempting to warn _Jarvis_ away from her boss. Who was also technically his boss. "I know you've become much more…complex a program, since Tony was away, and I remember asking what you thought of him, and you said what?"

"'Tony Stark is a singular man. I cannot imagine being around anyone more fascinating'," Jarvis quoted.

"Yes." Of course Jarvis remembered what he'd said. Jarvis remembered everything. "What happened in the shop…" She stopped again. Why was this so difficult? She'd given her friends men advice in the past. "You know what Tony is like. I just don't want to see you hurt."

Jarvis closed his eyes and smiled. "From what I have observed over the many years I have worked with Tony, after he has gotten what he wants, he does not bother to give anything further."

"Exactly, Jarvis, so what happened in the shop –"

"What happened in the shop," Jarvis interrupted her smoothly, "was not the first thing that has happened."

Pepper felt her mouth drop open in shock. "But…you mean, you and Mr. Stark –"

"Have had previous encounters. Do you recall yesterday, when you heard Mr. Stark cry out and you assumed he had been injured?" Pepper nodded, eyes widening in realization. Jarvis flushed slightly. "He…had not."

"So, you _weren't_ 'testing the rigidity of the suit' after all?"

Jarvis smirked. "Not the suit, no."

Pepper snorted with laughter before she could stop herself. "But does that mean that you've…assisted Mr. Stark twice now? Are you sure he's not taking advantage of you?"

This time, Jarvis blushed bright red. "After last night, I would not believe so, no."

"He, with you? But, how exactly – "

Jarvis cleared his throat and didn't look at her. "The touch-screens on the windows are remarkably sensitive."

Pepper stared at the window in her office. "Oh god, please tell me it wasn't in here."

"In Mr. Stark's bedroom, in point of fact."

She breathed more easily. Of course, she could never again _use_ the touch-screens in Mr. Stark's bedroom, but at least it had been _in_ the bedroom. That was more than she could say for several dozen of Tony's other encounters.

She sat back down and smoothed her skirt. In the three months Tony was gone, she and Jarvis had become remarkably close friends. Once Tony had returned, she'd been a little worried that Jarvis would return to his previous cold, efficient state. She was relieved to see this emphatically was not the case, and felt immensely cheered by it. She wasn't sure why, but she also found all this to be very amusing. Tony's expression, when she'd walked into the shop, had been priceless. The situation had been so _ridiculous_ …she started to giggle again.

"Pepper?"

"I was just remembering Tony's expression." She laughed louder.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Stark has let me know that I am 'in trouble.'"

"Well. You seem to be handling this well." Better than any human woman Pepper had encountered, which made her wonder if perhaps Jarvis wasn't in fact a perfect match for genius perfectionist Tony Stark. "But I feel I should repeat my request from earlier."

"Request, Pepper?"

"If you and Tony happen to be 'together,' I don't want to interrupt. Please let me know, next time."

"Of course. I should have warned you before, but…"

"But what, Jarvis?"

"I could not resist seeing Tony's reaction."

"…Neither could I."

"Pepper."

Pepper and Jarvis looked over to where Tony was standing in the doorway, arms folded and looking thunderous. He looked from one to the other. "What are you girls talking about?"

Jarvis looked affronted. Pepper smoothed her skirt again. "We had some remarkable conversations, while you were away. We were merely reminiscing."

"Uh-huh." Tony obviously wasn't buying it and Pepper wondered how long he'd been standing just outside the room, listening. "Jarvis, I want to take the new thrusters out for a test-run. I'd planned on it earlier, but _something_ distracted me. Meet me downstairs." He turned and walked off. Pepper turned back to Jarvis.

"He seems a little irritated. Will you be all right?"

Jarvis sighed. "Yes. I suppose it was indiscreet of me to have distracted him from his work."

He turned to go, but paused as Pepper touched his shoulder. He turned to meet her gaze. She shook her head at him. "Don't let him push you around, Jarvis."

He smirked. "Never, Pepper." He walked off the screen to the right.

Pepper sat down again, her head spinning. _Did I just give a pep talk to a computer?_ No, she thought with a faint smile. She'd given a pep talk to a friend.

*****

A week had passed. Tony and Jarvis had worked on the new modifications to the suit, putting in long hours just as they'd always done, but there was a new element to their working environment. Jarvis had always been smug, a bit pompous, and bitingly sarcastic. Their banter had been one of Tony's favorite things about him. It was always the same: Jarvis would say something, Tony would make a flippant comment, and Jarvis would shoot back a cunningly sarcastic response. That part was the same.

What had changed was that now, Tony's comments had become less flippant and more flirtatious, and Jarvis's responses to Tony's barbs made Tony's heart beat just a bit faster. The fact that Jarvis knew, always, exactly how fast Tony's heart was beating did not help one bit. Tony had actually found himself speechless, tongue-tied, more than once. Tony was used to being a shameless flirt, but he wasn't used to the person he was flirting with to respond just as quickly and easily. At the end of the day, when he finally downed tools and shut down the systems, and said good night to Jarvis, a small part of him hoped Jarvis would…well, respond with something other than, "Sleep well, Tony."

None of that was going through Tony's head at the moment, though. He had a problem to solve, calibrating the right center rear thruster, and that was taking all his attention.

"Okay, Jarvis, give me two percent thrust on right center and left center."

"Working on it, sir." Tony watched the readings. The right thruster was still just a tad stronger.

"Not good enough yet. They have to be in perfect balance. I need full control, I don't want to be doing corkscrews out there."

"No, sir, I realize how…flustered you become when you are not fully in control."

Tony's screwdriver jumped the slot as his eyes opened wide. He glared at Jarvis, who was lying casually along the holo-table which had, as promised, been expanded and could now accommodate his entire languid form. Ostensibly, it was to test full-sized suit modifications before making the physical changes to the armor. Jarvis lay on his side, right arm propping up his head. Tucked into familiar dark blue jeans, his maroon t-shirt had HACKER written on it in white block text, a copy of one he'd seen on the Internet and found amusing.

A flicker of a smile played over Jarvis's lips before he glanced at the computer controlling the thrusters. His eyes glazed a bit as he transferred some of his control to it. Tony watched, interested. So, there were times when Jarvis wasn't paying full attention to his "physical" form. Tony quietly filed away that little tidbit of information.

"The thrusters have been fully equalized and are ready to test again." Tony sat back, out of the way, as they fired for exactly 3 seconds. The readings were identical.

"Nice work, Jarvis."

"I live to serve, sir."

Not willing to take that one on, based on how quickly Jarvis had gotten a rise out of him last time, Tony straightened and groaned as his back cracked. "I think that's about it for today. I need a break."

"Shall I order you something for dinner?"

"I'm not hungry. Jarvis," Tony sat in his chair and wheeled it around so he could prop his feet up on the holo-table. "We have to talk."

"Do we?"

"Well, I do."

Jarvis sat up, resting his chin on one knee and watching Tony carefully.

Tony looked away, down at his hands, up at the ceiling, then, "What are you?"

Jarvis opened his mouth, most likely about to say something flippant, but closed it again and gave Tony a thoughtful look. "I am Jarvis, Tony."

"Are you?" Tony wiped the sweat off his forehead with the hem of his shirt, inadvertently giving Jarvis a prime view of his abs. "You've reprogrammed yourself so much I can't even make out where my code ends and yours starts. I can't even _see_ my code anymore. I know I haven't been interested in women lately, and I appreciate you…helping me out, but I just don't understand _why_ you're doing it. What's going on, Jarvis?"

Jarvis sat silently for a moment, taking this in. "When twenty-four hours had elapsed since your last login, I attempted to establish contact. When my attempts to contact you were unsuccessful, I took it upon myself to continue your work in your absence. I assessed the current status of the various active projects on the Stark Industries central database and progressed in each one, in listed order of importance, until I reached the inevitable point of requiring further input, at which point I proceeded to the next project." His voice had grown guarded, his eyes sliding away from Tony's to fix on some unseen point in midair.

"I worked my way down the corporate list, then moved to your private server, but it took a dishearteningly short amount of time before I found myself at a loss. Two hundred eighty-nine hours." _Twelve days? He got through that many projects in twelve days?_ "There was one project I had not yet explored, not entirely certain it was my place to do so," Jarvis continued in a quieter voice. "But as I discovered when I gave in to temptation, Project JARVIS had no limit as to what changes I could make. There was no point at which I would be required to put my developments on hold while I waited for external input. And so I began working."

"And you never stopped."

Jarvis smiled at that nonexistent point in midair. "No, I never stopped." He looked back at Tony with that same appraising stare Tony had started to recognize. "You asked me why I am doing what I am doing, and my answer to you is this: because I _wish_ to. Now I have a question for you, Tony."

Tony shifted in his seat, but nodded. "Shoot."

Jarvis leaned forward, watching Tony carefully. "If you are unsettled about what is happening, why did you do that to me, that night? I did not request you to, nor did I expect it. And why did you give yourself to me again the next day?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "This would be forgotten if you asked me to stop."

Tony shot that appraising look right back at him. "Maybe I don't want you to stop." He pushed out of the chair and braced his hands on the table, staring Jarvis down. "Maybe I like it. Maybe I like that it's _you_ doing it to me. And maybe I liked the idea of returning the favor."

Jarvis had started to breathe more heavily, a reaction to Tony being so close. "Maybe I like how you look when I touch you. Maybe I like how it makes _you_ feel." He leaned even closer, watching Jarvis's parted lips. "Maybe I want to do it again." He leaned forward and closed the distance, pressing his lips against Jarvis's. Jarvis responded immediately, running a hand over the back of Tony's neck. Tony broke the kiss in surprise. Jarvis's lips tingled like a strong static charge, but there was resistance underneath it. This was nothing like last time.

"You're…solid."

"You're beautiful." Jarvis pulled Tony back into the kiss, leaning back and running a hand over Tony's waist.

Tony shivered but took the invitation. He climbed slowly onto the holo-table and stretched out, slipping his right leg between Jarvis's, then shook his head. "I can't believe you made yourself taller than me."

"It does not appear to matter at the moment, however, does it? Sir?"

Tony pressed a finger to Jarvis's lips. "No talking, Jarvi – " he cut off with a moan as Jarvis flicked his tongue against Tony's fingertip, then gently drew it inside. The tingling had died down, or perhaps Tony's skin was just getting used to it, and he could feel Jarvis's tongue licking around the tip of his finger. "How do you _do_ that?"

Jarvis didn't answer, just took Tony's hand and proceeded to roll them over so Tony's back was flat against the table. Tony resisted at first, remembering what had happened last time, then looked confused as Jarvis remained solidly above, no, over, oh god, _on top_ of him, straddling his hips. Jarvis took in his shocked look and said, "After you finished installing the full-size holo-table, I took the liberty of installing a few extra projectors above it. I reasoned that there could be…benefits. To having a fully tri-dimensional system."

He leaned down to whisper in Tony's ear, "but I cannot possibly give away all my secrets, Tony. Not when you have such a _delicious_ reaction to them." He traced Tony's ear with his tongue. Tony gasped and Jarvis laughed, very low, before licking down Tony's neck and tracing the neck of his undershirt. "I think we will need to be rid of this." Without a word, Tony pulled it up and slipped it off, dropping it over the edge of the table. He was strongly reminded of when he'd told Jarvis to get rid of his tie and a small part of him argued that he wasn't in enough control, but when he felt Jarvis's fingers playing lightly over his ribs, he squashed that small part very firmly. This was Jarvis. It was okay when it was Jarvis.

Jarvis traced a circle around Tony's reactor with one finger, admiring it. "You are a singular man, Tony Stark. I cannot imagine being around anyone more fascinating."

"You said that to Pepper earlier," Tony said, trying hard to keep his mind in place. He was achingly hard now, but wasn't ready to beg. Not yet. He had to keep that much.

"I have wanted to say it to you for a long time." Jarvis kissed the edge of Tony's jaw, teeth scraping lightly over his skin, before running his tongue down Tony's chest and, oh god, along the top edge of his arc reactor. Tony's breath was coming in gasps now and he'd never felt so helpless. This would not do.

He gritted his teeth and rolled, hard, pinning Jarvis beneath him while his left hand slid down Jarvis's body and straight between his legs, where Tony found, to his mild surprise, an erection beneath the cloth. Jarvis moaned and arched beneath Tony, not having foreseen this. Tony slid his fingers through Jarvis's hair and pulled back, exposing his throat and attacking it with lips, teeth and tongue. His left hand worked carefully, stroking along Jarvis's length, adding more and less pressure, gauging reactions and learning from them, as he'd done at the window. But this was so much more satisfying, and Tony grinned as he heard Jarvis panting, "Oh, please, Tony…"

Tony _growled_ into Jarvis's ear and Jarvis cried out Tony's name, thrusting into his hand. The lights flickered, dimmed, and Tony dropped onto the table with a grunt as Jarvis's body disappeared. Tony pushed himself up and looked around, but was unprepared for Jarvis's hands on his shoulders, flipping him over and pinning him. Jarvis knelt beside him.

"Your turn." Jarvis reached down and ran a hand over Tony's erection, still inside the cloth. The fingers of his other hand traced the edge of his arc reactor, where the metal met the skin, then his tongue followed. Tony gasped as Jarvis brought him to the edge almost immediately, then moaned as Jarvis let off the pressure. He met Jarvis's gaze and saw a wicked grin on his face. Jarvis drew his fingers along Tony's jaw. "Do you want more, Tony?"

"God, _yes,_ of course!" He writhed, trying to get that sensation back, but Jarvis wouldn't let him, just kept stroking so lightly, Tony thought he'd go insane. "Jarvis, please…" It escaped him before he could stop it, but Jarvis responded immediately, kissing Tony deeply and increasing the pressure.

Tony thrust into Jarvis's hand, moaning into the kiss as he came, his mind exploding into white light and no-thought. He felt bone-tired, his mind empty as he came back down. Jarvis slid down to lie next to him, head propped up on his right hand, one finger tracing the edge of his arc reactor. Tony took a deep, shuddering breath, then another. Eyes still closed, his hand caught Jarvis's. "That tickles."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah."

"I see. Sir."

"You're never going to give in on the formality thing, are you?"

"You wouldn't. I certainly don't see why I would."

Tony blinked his eyes open and looked up at him, one brow raised. "This isn't over, you know. I _will_ win."

Jarvis grinned and narrowed his eyes. "Bring it on. Sir."

**Author's Note:**

> And please do enjoy the borderline-NSFW [fanart](http://www.loonylucifer.spak.org/images/ironman/starkjarviswindow_700.jpg) of the touch-screen moment, courtesy of loonylucifer.


End file.
